Midimonkey Webcam

  • Thread starter Thread starter frederic
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HA!
You're sweeping up!

If I had a dime for everytime I've swept my studio it would have paid for itself by now!
 
Very cool Frederic,

Trying to keep up with these posts is becoming time consuming. This must be one of the fastest growing threads.

larry

p.s. nice rack:D :D
 
I'm having my rack double as a producer's table, so the whole back side will actually open up... make it really easy :)

Don't think for a second I consider this "ideal". For me, this is a compromise. What I really wanted to do was use four heavy duty ball bearing drawer sliders, two per side, then slide the rails forward using a nice steel handle. However, that would have added about 2.25" of width per rack, and that would force me to have four racks instead of five. if I do the fifth rack (all the way to the left, off camera) at a 45 degree angle, I can miter off a sixth rack 45 degrees off that one, 90 degrees from the four you see in the camera. 6 * 21 isn't bad at all :) I measured it earlier while bored on the phone so it will fit, if the depth isn't more than 16" instead of 22" like the others. Though all of my outboards are 6-10" deep, so thats plenty of space, actually. I could even put the ADC patch bays there. Either way, a sixth is doable.

Now I just have to figure out how to keep the wiring clean at the patchbay and board... since you'll be able to see it/walk around it.

Through the back framing, which I would think you'd have, drill two or more 1/2" holes through the width of the frame pieces, so you can insert 1/2" steel rod through the the width of the entire rack, then use velcro ties to hold the wires to the cross-rack steel rod. Or copper pipe, whatever floats your boat. Just don't use threaded rods, because you'll wear into the wire insulation. Something smooth.

And to cover the back of the racks, use cabinet doors or possibly a curtain behind each rack. When I had my pro studio a decade ago, we did the curtain thing, that was very convienent, and we had the curtain people match those curtains to the window drapes that we bordered all the interior windows with, just to make it nice looking.
 
The legs on the mackie stuff (I have two mackie side car racks and the mackie 24x8) are hollow... I'm tempted to grommit the top of them and drill out the bottom and drop everything down the legs... it would look clean, but would be a pain to change out if anything ever went bad.
 
Velvet Elvis said:
The legs on the mackie stuff (I have two mackie side car racks and the mackie 24x8) are hollow... I'm tempted to grommit the top of them and drill out the bottom and drop everything down the legs... it would look clean, but would be a pain to change out if anything ever went bad.

Run more pairs than you need. If you need 48 pairs, toss another 24 TRS snake in there, leaving it unterminated "just in case". Thats what i'll be doing with my racks, I'll have 48 TRS pairs of unused snake cable punched down on the 66 blocks "just in case". Something fries, dies, breaks, whatever, I just move cables down to new unused pairs, punch it, and forget about it.

Punchblocks are your friend :)

I acquired mine out of a data center switch site for nothing, just had to unscrew them from the wall, but here are 66 blocks at a reasonable price:

http://www.mpja.com/directview.asp?product=7186+TT

The above block gives you 50 punchdowns, three per TRS line so you have a total of 15 TRS lines per block.

You also need bridge clips to "patch" wire in to wire out, and the official punch tool and blades. As you punch, the blade also cuts off the tail so its nice and neat. Tie it all up and you're good to go.

Audio and midi work wonderful on 66 blocks. You can also use 110 blocks, they're slightly different but they also give you 25 pairs or 50 conductors or 15 TRS lines.
 
I use 110 and 66 blocks here at work alllll the time...

Hadn't ever thought about using them in the studio... do they cause any audio degradation?

Velvet
 
Velvet Elvis said:
I use 110 and 66 blocks here at work alllll the time...

Hadn't ever thought about using them in the studio... do they cause any audio degradation?

Velvet

I'm sure some scientific type will insist that they do, but I've been using them for years in audio applications with no audible difference that I can hear, regardless of volume level, signal type, et al, as long as the wires are punched properly to begin with.

Remember that punch blocks are not only used in telco rooms and data centers, but also outside in barely-weather-tight enclosures that experience snow, humidity, sun, birds, and workers poking them with screwdrivers.

I've been using them in home studios and prostudios for many years with no problem at all.

Some of the ADC patch panels, premounted in framed enclosures, used to use this type of wire pinch punch down before they switched to the "new style" 20 years ago. I believe they did this to con people into buying ADC tools, but thats just my opinion and worth what you paid for it :D
 
Michael Jones said:
HA!
You're sweeping up!

If I had a dime for everytime I've swept my studio it would have paid for itself by now!

I should do it more often, actually. Its fairly slippery here. That large pile of schite in the middle of the room is no prize either. Its about 2' high and about 4' wide already... I seem to throw NOTHING out, even the 2" long 2x4 scraps. I just might use one as a spacer :D
 
gatorhaus said:
Very cool Frederic,

Trying to keep up with these posts is becoming time consuming. This must be one of the fastest growing threads.

larry

p.s. nice rack:D :D

Thats because its associated with a real-time camera :)

And thank you for the compliment. They'll be nicer once the are screwed down. The face, the part that you see, is balanced perfectly. A good bump and it comes right down, until I finish the braces, which I'm doing now.
 
Braces done!

Now it doesn't move forward or back, or side to side. Next is to make bracing on the angled side from the edge of the vocal booth to the first right most rack, so I can hang sheet rock on the side, and frame out the 5th, 45 degree rack, but I'll be doing that later once I clean out all the garbage stuffed in the slanted cove there, including a coffee table. I might have to unbolt the last rack side to get the table out. Talk about poor planning. Would be nice if I noticed the coffee table FIRST. :rolleyes:

Anyway, the 45 degree rack and the 90 degree rack will be made after I finish sheetrocking that area of the room. No sense in making it more difficult than it has to be. I put all the wood I precut into a trash bag into the crawl space so I don't use it for something else.

Whew, nice accomplishment for the day.

And don't be alarmed that I screwed the rack supports to the vocal booth plywood. Coincidentally :D immediately behind the plywood is a horizontal stud I put there for this reason. Also, the plywood is two layers, all glued, chaulked, etc as usual.
 
Countertop for producer's desk cut and mitered, though I have some shimming to do.

And I only hit my head twice. Coincidentally, not on the counter top of the racks, but the 36" clamps hanging from the ceiling.

Whoever is watching I'm glad you can't hear the swearing :)
 
Smaller Window

I'm one of those that has become addicted to the MidiMonkey Show... In Fact, I made myself a little popup that will show just the camera in a smaller window. (no logins needed either)

http://www.gatesofzion.com/cams.html

It now sits quielty in the corner of my second monitor to give me the occasional chuckle.... :D

-pascal
 
Last edited:
Re: Smaller Window

http://www.gatesofzion.com/cams.html

It now sits quielty in the corner of my second monitor to give me the occasional chuckle.... :D

-pascal [/B]

Wow Pascal, that is totally slick! What is the possibility if you being willing to share the code you used with me? I'd love to put it on my website, so people can just fly right over to the camera without having to select off the main camera page.

If not thats cool, but I figured I'd ask :)

And glad I'm helping your addition! When my cousin was here yesterday, he kept asking if it would be rude to "chuck a moon" at the camera LOL
 
Hey frederic... are those Chips Ahoy?? or just plain chips?

And what sort of liquid refreshment is sitting on your rack this fine morning?

Velvet Elvis
 
Velvet Elvis said:
Hey frederic... are those Chips Ahoy?? or just plain chips?

And what sort of liquid refreshment is sitting on your rack this fine morning?

Velvet Elvis

Liquids: coffee, coke, iced tea :)

The chips are pathmark rippled potato chips. Compliments the bagel I had well :)
 
Yes... thanks for the camera close up of the chips :)
 
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